Skinner snares pole

Driver sets Busch record in Delaware

Dover, Del.  Mike Skinner, who just learned he's losing the primary sponsor of his Winston Cup car, didn't let that affect his Busch series qualifying effort at Dover Downs International Speedway.

Skinner set a Busch record for The Monster Mile, turning a lap Friday in a Chevrolet at 155.932 mph. It broke Matt Kenseth's year-old mark of 155.293.

It was Skinner's first Busch pole in six years and only his second in the series. Today, in the MBNA.com 200, the 43-year-old driver will try for his second Busch win in 26 career starts.

Skinner took his Chevrolet around high-banked concrete oval in 23.087 seconds. Second-fastest was points leader Jeff Green, who went 155.380. Skinner, the 1997 Rookie of the Year in NASCAR's top division, will lose the backing of Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse.